September 10, 2014

I miss AOL.

Oh hey....didn't see you there. My face was in my phone. I've been really busy lately and haven't been around much. I'd like to say that it was all work but I'd be lying. I spend a mind-numbingly large amount of time online. Just looking at stuff. Sometimes I look at the clock and it's like an hour(s) later than I thought it was and the whole time I've been stuck on dlisted, engrossed in the hilarious snark of Michael K & crew or on Pinterest, pinning away at things my inner Tiffany tells me that I'll do one day.

I think back to the first time I remember being online --- way back in 1994. I only had internet (AOL of all things) at my dad's house and I only saw him every other weekend but it was there, taunting me with it's promises of "You've Got Mail" and ways to look up interesting things about my imaginary boyfriend, JTT. Oh, it was so addicting! I couldn't imagine ever getting tired of this incredible place where I could chat with people (back before a/s/l was considered creepy), find pictures of cute boys and email my friends (imagine talking to your friends without actually talking to your friends!). The days where 'social media' meant getting excited when someone sent you an email are long gone, huh?

what I legitimately assume my locker looked like in 6th grade

It's difficult to explain that sometimes I feel overloaded by social media. There are so many ways to connect with people now --- and so many of them are important to the success of your blog --- that I feel guilty when I get burned out. I needed to take a small break when I started my new job so I could get refocused and figure out how to manage everything at once.

I've decided I'm initiating selective avoidance. I can't constantly check Twitter. I can't always be in the mindset to read and return emails. I won't always remember to post to the groups I belong to on Facebook. I'm a little worn down, what with two jobs and two blogs plus a non-digital life that includes The Boy and three pets plus family and friends. I think I'm going to start some new practices like using email filters, maybe batch my email subscriptions, giving myself "x" amount of time per day to goof off so that I can actually get what I need/want to get done, well, done.

Point being, I want to be able to enjoy the internet again. I want to be excited to check emails, see what people are up to, etc. I just have to figure out a way to do it.